I remember the first death I experienced was my grandfather. I was 17-18, and he had come down with prostate cancer that took him really fast. I remember being told he was coming home to “hospice” and remember how happy I was because I thought he was better. Only later do I understand the importance of hospice. My grandpa wasn’t coming home because he was better, he was coming home to pass away in peace, in his home, and around the people he loved.

Hospice to me is so scary, but so important at the same time.

Condolences OP

Edit: Today is my 41st bday. Hard to believe my grandpa has been gone 23 years.

A lot of people have the misconception that hospice is only for people that will die soon, but there are many people that go to hospice and become healthy enough to go home. It’s also a much nicer alternative to lots of nursing homes for the elderly. Whenever I’m an old person and I can’t care for myself I would much rather prefer going to hospice instead of some nursing home.

I’m in the United States, a lot of people go to hospice if they are chronically ill because it’s closer to home, cheaper, and more individualized and specialized care. There are separate wings in hospice. Usually one for dementia, terminally ill, and just elderly.

Here in the US, CMS provides the regulations that drive the hospice benefit and how it can be used. There are currently 4 levels of hospice care... routine home, which is intermittent visits where patients are cared for at home; continuous home, which is at least 8 hours in 24 must me visits from nursing or hospice aides, again in the patients Home; general in patient (GIP), which is for patients who’s symptoms can not be managed in these previous two levels and require being at a hospice house until stabilized if possible; and then respite, which is up to 5 days of placement to give caregivers respite.

Hospice requires 2 physicians to certify a terminal illness with a reasonable presumption of 6 or less months to live, if the disease process completes its natural course. So a patient can be on hospice for years technically, as long as they meet criteria.

And patients can absolutely improve their health and “graduate off of” hospice.

This is such a special moment captured. Pets are there for every moment and feeling in your life, especially moments without people we put so much love and trust in them and get it back. The comfort of Brady must have felt like a lot of love to him.I wish you all the strength for handling this loss.

I used to bring my kitten to visit my grandma when she was in home hospice. The kitten would become so calm and burrow between my grandmothers arm and body or legs. It brought my gran a lot of peace in her last days to have the kittens calming presence and rhythmic breathing.

I saw a story about a cat that lived in a nursing home or hospital that would begin spending a lot of time with residents a few days before they died. It happened so predictably that the staff began calling family to warn them based on the cat's actions.

I saw the same story. It’s believed that our bodies release a chemical or hormone(can’t recall) when near death. Cats are sensitive that. In nature, this behaviour helps them find food.

I always thought it was a metaphysical thing, but this time the science showed it’s just a primal survival tactic. Still, it’s a good help for the hospital in that show, plus who doesn’t like a friendly cat roaming the halls.

I used to house/pet sit for an elderly man. After his wife passed away suddenly, he spent the last few years of his life traveling the world and would sometimes be gone for up to 3 months at a time. He had a pet cat named Monica and I would go spend the night and play with her and water his plants and then he'd come home and give me check at the end of his vacation.

As the years passed he became too poor in health to travel, and then too poor in health to drive. So, he asked me if I would take him grocery shopping once a week and in return he'd fill up my gas tank and let me play with the cat (because I LOVED her). He was a veteran so he got discounted stuff on the airforce base, which is about 45 minutes from where we lived so him filling my tank really helped, plus we'd have long chats and I got to really know him more as a person instead of "the neighbor I house sit for."

Eventually he became too sick he had to be put in hospice. Him and his wife never had children so the only family he had was a niece who lived across the country. She eventually flew out and helped with getting him into hospice and one thing he wanted was Monica, he said he didn't care about anything else. So they allowed her to be with him until he passed on peacefully.

After he went, the reality of what was going to happen with this cat became an issue. His niece and her husband didn't want her, and the only other person he knew was me. I wanted to take her so badly but I have two dogs and they would have torn her to shreds. Plus, I was living with my parents at the time and my dad was super allergic. They began talking about taking her to the pound and my heart started breaking because she was honestly the sweetest cat ever and I didn't want to see her go there.

I'm not sure how the solution came about, but eventually the hospice workers began talking about how much the other patients loved Monica because she would cuddle with them and visit their rooms. Seeing that we had no plan for where this cat was going, they offered to adopt her has the 'house cat' so she could be with the patients and would be greatly cared for by everyone else there.

I haven't seen her in a few years, but I like to think she is still there making people happy. She was only about 3 years old when this happened so she'd be about 6 now I think. Anyways, sorry for the novel, just made me think of this. I miss them both so much.

I am absolutely convinced cats (and dogs, and other animals) can tell when humans are sick. They experience the world on metaphysical levels we don’t. At the very least, I’m sure they can SMELL the sick. Animals are special.

I think animals have telekinetic powers to communicate with all living beings on the planet earth and beyond. Difference in communications. But I also think they can communicate with beings on other planets and in other dimensions.

Postings here are the last known photographs or videos of a person. Also, the last picture taken by a person just before their death is acceptable. Pictures of people only please! You may additional context in comments.